The active ingredient in Sluggo is iron phosphate, so it is an organic compound that breaks down into fertilizer in your yard. Sluggo can also be used in vegetable and berry gardens up to the day of harvest. Sluggo is used the same as other bait materials which often contain toxic ingredients. Simply scatter safe and natural Sluggo in the evening where snails and slugs feed. Once they have eaten the bait they crawl back under the plants to die. It is slower acting than metaldehyde but is active on the soil surface longer than other baits. The biggest advantage to Sluggo is that it provides an effective alternative to traditional snail and slug baits. Sluggo can be used around domestic animals and wildlife.